Korean Beef Stew (Best Version)
Boneless beef short ribs (got this from T&T Supermarket)
Soy Sauce
Mirin
Sugar
Corn starch
Aluminum foil
Mix equal part soy sauce and mirin in a bowl. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Cut the meat into portion size. Place one or two meat into aluminum foil and brush sauce mixture on all sides. Set aside the rest of the sauce for later. Seal the meat using the foil. Make sure air doesn't come out as the steam is required to cook the meat thoroughly.
Bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours. Take meat out and set aside. Pour the liquid inside the foil into a container. Take out all the fat. Pour the rest of the mixture with the leftover sauce into a sauce pan. Add water to cornstarch to create a thickening agent and pour in sauce pan to get a thick sauce. Taste sauce and add more water if it's too salty. Pour thickened sauce on top of cooked meat and serve with toasted sesame and shopped scallions.
Korean Beef Stew
I always like slow cooked meat. This time, I think I hit the magic ingredients to make a yummy korean beef stew.
Beef Ribs
Soy Sauce
Sugar
Mirin
Brown the meat on all sides, discard oil. Put beef back and apply enough water to cover the top part of the beef. Add soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Cook for 2 hours under low heat until beef is tender. Take out beef but leave the sauce. Heat the sauce until desired consistency is achieved. Leave overnight so that the oil solidifies. Scrape oil.
Steved Beef with Gravy
I haven't been buying simering steak for a while since I don't really know how to cook it. The first time I bought it, I cooked it like a steak, and the texture wasn't right. I guess I should have really looked at it's name. Simering implies that the beef needs to be cooked in low temperature for a long time. So I got this steak again and decided to try something different. This time, it came out delicious. So I want to share this recipe with everyone. I think it should work with any tough cuts of meat.
Here's what you'll need:
1 pack Simering steak (usually comes as one slice, haven't seen this sold in bulk here in Vancouver).
1 onion, chopped
Several pieces of garlic (depends how much you like garlic)
Whole peppercorn seeds
stock (fresh is better, or bullion is acceptable)
Oil
Pour some oil on the pan and pan sear the steak on both sides. After the sides are brown, put the chopped onion and garlic. Add the stock (I used bullion since I didn't have any home made stock) into the pan until it covers the beef. Add the peppercorn. When the liquid starts to boil, turn down heat to simmer and cook for 1.5 hours or until the liquid is less than half the amount before. Make sure you cover the pan during the cooking process.
After around 1.5 hours, the meat should be very tender. If not, cook longer. Once the meat is ready, take it out of the pan and set aside to rest. To make the gravy, pour all the liquid (including onions, garlic, and peppercorn) into a blender and blend for 10-20 seconds. Be careful when blending since the liquid is hot. Blend at the highest speed for 10-20 seconds. The liquid should turn into gravy (it will get very thick). Taste the gravy and add more water if it's too salty, or add salt if it's slightly bland. Pour into a gravy container or pour directly on top of the meat.
I didn't get a chance to take a picture, but trust me, this one is tasty. I can just imagine redoing this recipe on ox-tail. Hmm....yummy.
Korean Style Beef Stew
When I was small, I love korean beef stew. I would always get that whenever we go to the foodcourt to eat (this was in the Philippines). When I came to Canada, couldn't find that dish ina any of the Korean restaurants that I went to. That's when I realized that perhaps this is not an authentic Korean dish, but rather a fusion of Filipino and Korean cuisines. In any case, I found a website that had the recipe.
I tried the recipe as is a few times. It was very good, but I find that there's too much liquid (although that's one of the main appeal of the recipe). I think it would taste better if the liquid was reduced so that it's thick and rich. That would match the beef very well. So after a few tries, I have it to where it's just right for my taste.
Beef ribs (as many as you want to cook or as many as the pot can hold)
1 whole garlic
1 whole onion
Soy sauce
Sugar
Chili (flakes or freshly cut)
Salt to taste
Put all the beef inside the pot and fill it with water until it just covers all the meat. Cook for half an hour over medium heat and skim all the stuff that floats on top. Add garlic, onion, soy sauce, sugar, and chili. The amound of soy sauce depends on how much water is in the pot. The rule that I follow is to add just enough to darken the liquid (give it a brownish color). Add a couple tablespoons of sugar. I always taste the liquid when I cook this dish. Remember, everyone has different taste so adjust accordingly. Note that the liquid does not need to be perfectly seasoned at this point since the liquid will be reduced at a later time (flavor will get concentrated). Cook at low heat for 2.5-3hrs. You'll know when it's done when the meat falls off the bone and becomes very tender. Take out all the meat and and any non liquid ingredients from the pot (e.g. garlic, onion, bones). If you are health concious like I am, right now is the best time to take out all the fat from the liquid. I use a gravy separator to do this, but you can cool down the liquid in the fridge until the fat solidifies and skim it off. Reduce the liquid to half the volume. Season to taste at this point. Do not be tempted to put more soy souce. Add more salt instead if saltiness is desired. The sauce should have a mild saltiness and sweetness to it. So balance the amound of salt/sugar. After the sauce has reduced, pour the beef back into the pan so that the sauce can coat the meat thoroughly. Serve immediately.
Sesame seed can be optionally added just before being served. Best way to eat it is with plain white rice. If you get a chance to try this, let me know how you like it.
Summer Salad
I got the inspiration for this while watching Chef at Home by Michael Smith. After multiple iterations, I have finalized on the recipe that everyone in my family likes. I'm so proud of this that I've named it after my daughter, Summer.
I was tired of eating the same type of salad every time. The usual green leafy vegetables(lettuce, spinach, etc) are getting a bit too boring even though I've changed the dressing that I use each time. When I saw Chef Smith make this on TV (it wasn't meant to be a salad but rather a filling for a wrap), I got excited. I knew that this one had the potential of replacing the boring standard salad that I've been having.
Summer Salad is very very easy to make. It's just a mixture of ingredients that I like, followed by a tasty dressing that anyone can make at home. Below is a list of ingredients that I always use (you can add or take out ingredients based on your
preference).
- 1 can Garbanzo beans, drained
- 1 can mandarin orange slices, drained
- 1 can corn kernel (not cream styled corn), drained
- 2 Green Onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch Cilantro, finely chopped
Make sure all the ingredients are well drained. Otherwise the liquid will dilute the dressing and will make it hard for the dressing to stick to the ingredients. I just put everything in a strainer/colander and leave it there for a few minutes. For the mandarin slices, you can either get whole slices, or chunks. I always go for the chunks variety since they are cheaper and the mandarin slices are not meant for decoration.
For the dressing, the following ingredients are needed.
- Mayonnaise
- Horseradish mayonnaise or Dijon mustard
- Salt
- Pepper
I don't have any exact measurements for the dressing (since I don't usually measure when I cook - that's not the carefree way). But I would say half mayonnaise and half horseradish mayonnaise. If you can't find Horseradish mayonnaise (I use the PC brand from Superstore), a few spoons of Dijon mustard should do. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the dressing on the dry ingredients and serve. The salad taste even better when left overnight as it gives the flavours time to be properly mixed.
Not only can this dish be eaten on its own just like a salad, but it can be used just like a salsa (a side dish for meat or dips for chips). A dish so versatile...that's carefree cooking at its best.
Leg of Lamb
Leg of lamb is one of the ingredients that I was afraid to use. It's typically expensive since it's a big chunk of meat. And when not cooked properly, could be completely inedible. However, just like the duck, I had to try it. As the famous saying goes, practice makes perfect.
I've seen some cooking shows where leg of lamb is the main ingredient. But I decided to be adventurous and try adding whatever flavours I can find in my fridge. Cooking technique is very important when cooking the lamb so I followed the basic barbeque style of cooking (low heat for a long period of time). I want to share a quick tidbit I learned recently (From Alton Brown I think). Tougher cuts of meat (muscles that are used frequently by the animal) has a lot of collagen. Collagen are tough to eat, but when the proper heat and cooking duration is applied, these connective tissue melts and the meat falls apart. So to cook the cheap tough cuts of meat, keep in mind the low temperature and long period of cooking.
Now back to the lamb. I used the roasting technique which essentially means put the meat in the oven. To add flavour, I used a wet rub. Below is what I had in my wet rub.
- Olive oil
- Dijon Mustard
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Basil
- Salt
- Pepper
Mix all the ingredients together and rub on the entire leg of lamb. Place the lamb on a roasting pan. Cut some onions, garlic, and potatoes and place them on the roasting pan as well. This will give the gravy a nice flavour (more on that later). Preheat the oven at 300 degrees F and place the roasting pan in there for 3 hours. If you have one of those digital meat thermometer, use that instead. The lamb should be ready when the internal temperature hits around 180 degrees F.
After the meat is fully cooked, take it out of the roasting pan and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. Take out the onions, garlic, and potatoes from the roasting pan. There should be some juice from the meat left on the pan. This will be the basis of the gravy. Put the roasting pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium. Put some stock into the pan and mix the sauce thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. To thicken the gravy, add some cornstarch mixed in water (equal parts) and pour into the sauce. Mix quickly. The sauce should thicken soon.
Cooking a leg of lamb is definitely not for the every day meal. It takes a bit of preparation and time to cook it, but it is very worth it. There are many different ways leg of lamb can be cooked, and I've just began to scratch the surface. Next time I cook lamb, I will use the braising method instead of roasting. I'll see which one taste better. Stay tuned!
Labels: leg of lamb, roasting
Ducks, Ducks, and more Ducks
Duck is one of the meats that I don't normally touch. All the duck recipes that I've seen are too elaborate/complicated so I end up just giving up. Besides, a quick trip to my local asian grocery store (T&T in my case) and I'll be eating duck in no time. But just like fear, I find that I have to conquer this meat, so here are my trials and tribulations.
The first time I made duck, I just followed how chinese barbequed duck are normally made. First thing to do is apply a dry rub of 5 spice powder (五香) on the entire duck and let it sit there for a few hours. I then rinsed the rub in warm water and let dry. I applied some honey on the skin and let it dry even more for up to 6 hours. I popped the bird in the oven for an hour at 400F and that was the end of the cooking. It only took me the entire day to prep and cook the bird. The result was not as good as I hoped however. Although I could taste the flavour from the 5 spice powder, and the sweetness from the honey, it needed salt and the meat was very hard. So that's strike 1.
The second time I made duck, I altered the cooking process a little bit. I took a page out of my ribs cooking technique (also saw Ina Garten do it this way) by boiling the entire duck in water first. I cooked the duck for half an hour (and followed the same technique as the first time. The result was pretty much the same. Needed more flavour and the meat was hard. That's strike 2.
Today, I decided to give it another try. This time, I made a few changes. I rubbed 5 spice powder on the entire duck, added kocher salt, and applied honey. A quick tip when applying honey, microwave it for 10-15 second so that the liquid is not too thick. I covered the entire duck in aluminum foil so that the skin doesn't turn dark too quickly during the long cooking process. Without waiting for the honey to dry, I popped the duck into the oven for 1 hour at 250F. After an hour, I basted the duck with more honey and cooked it for another 1 hour at 300F (keep the duck covered with aluminum foil). Baste the duck with more honey and cook at 350F for 45 minutes. The duck should be fully cooked at this point. Continue cooking for 15 minutes but this time without the aluminum foil. This will give the skin the nice brown roasted color.
Make sure the duck is rested well (around 15 minutes will do fine). The end result from the low temperature cooking is that the meat was very tender and fell off the bone. Now this is good eats. And since there's no waiting for drying or marinating, it was less time consuming than the first time I cooked duck.
I used a chicken roasting rack to cook the duck. It allowed all the fat to come off and evenly roasted the skin. I think this is the best way to roast any poultry (except for turkey since it's too big). It's also a good idea to put a big plate underneath the roaster to catch any splatter.
I always like to serve duck with plum sauce. Give it a try and I'm sure you'll like it. There's nothing more gratifying that being able to conquer your fear and have a full stomach while you're at it. Enjoy!
